Purpose
by Cerulean Grace
Summary: When he met her thousands of years ago, he didn't know how much she'd change him. A Melizabeth oneshot, mild manga spoilers. Cover art by Vetur02.


It was Winter when they first met, but it hadn't been a romantic season.

She lead an entire battalion of her people, mostly silverettes who flutter with downy wings in addition to a sense of poise, grace, and unabashed moral superiority. They hardly let their toes skim the blood-coated grass. War and battle is beneath them, too fierce and dirty: when they kill, there is always a censored, sanctimonious explanation even though the action is usually as mercilessly and plentifully performed as the rest of the clans, if not moreso. The demons _must die_ , they insist, for peace on Earth and harmony betweens clans and eternal happiness.

Some _nonsense_ like that.

Though, Meliodas had no arguments that many would be spared if he was completely eliminated from this planet. He took life without hesitation, for reasons that could be easily debated. Hell, half the time he had no reason whatsoever. With the Commandments behind him, he had no need for mercy. The only thrill that ran through him was from the strike of a brutal enemy. His brother, Estarossa, looked at him as a God when he struck down Goddesses hundreds of times their size. He felt alive in the death of others. It had been one of the main aspects he drilled into his younger sibling's mind: only the death of a great enemy could bring them life. Only the destruction of their enemies, particularly the Goddesses, would bring them glory and give them purpose.

But beyond that, killing brought him pleasure, _power_ brought him pleasure. Striking down the entire horde of Goddesses in front of him with the sword pressed between his shoulder blades, itching to be swung, would bring him particular pleasure. But their leader had asked for a conference, and who was he to deny something so interestingly rare.

Meliodas had met with her in the middle of the battleground: the goddess. _Elizabeth_ , she insisted on being called; he stuck with calling her 'Goddess' then. He didn't need familiarity with the enemy. As soon as he approached her, he knew she was one of the greats. One of those awful four; the notorious beings made with an exceptionally powerful light, one that triggered an automatic defense in his head. He'd seen the others, distantly. But never Elizabeth.

She'd been beautiful, in the striking type of way that overwhelms. A beauty that made him believe she was dangerous, like a poisonous flower. Something in the crystalline color of her eyes begged to be trusted, and that made him trust her less. Those eyes stared at him with an unwavering determination mixed with a gentle imploring as she pleaded with him not to clash against her that day. How could he not clash with her? This was war, he was a warrior, he lead a bloodthirsty army ready to pounce at a moment's notice if he just gave the quick, uncomplicated gesture.

Why hadn't he given the gesture right then, as she pleaded with him? No, he was too busy listening; not to the words she was saying, but just the voice. It sounded like tinkling bells and eased his tense muscles. Why was he at _ease_ in front of her?! She was the worst of the worst, the most powerful leader of his greatest enemy. And yet her voice was so soft, her eyes so blue, her scent so sweet from this close.

It was intoxicating. It was absolutely _infuriating._

He'd never wanted anything so badly in his existence.

So he listened to what she had to say. About peace and ending the war, about her going against the wishes of the other Goddess leaders, forming an alliance. About treaties and fairness and equality. Listened to her determined tone, traced his eyes over her rigid stance, the brightness in her eyes speckled with her inner light.

He heard her, but denied her. But the words resonated within him, deep within his core was an unmistakable shift. Not towards peace or her ideals, but towards her and that look in her eye, the energy radiating off her in waves of luminescence. So when he gestured towards his army to take hers down, he was shocked to see she hardly flinched. Her blue, glistening stare remained locked on his own, coated in darkness. Uneasiness pulsed inside him as it seemed she spotted the shift within him as well.

OoOoO

In the Spring, he was hers.

It hadn't taken much. A few more meetings in which she persisted in speaking to him. What a ridiculous concept; he'd rejected and betrayed her multiple times and she still had this unwavering faith that he could change for the better. The most ridiculous part was she'd been right.

He hardly recognized himself in his newest form. The darkness no longer clouded his mind, choked his insides, controlled his nerves. He knew there would be a consequence to betraying the Piety commandment he'd been gifted with so many years before, but he didn't care. Because he felt _light_. Her allegiance made him feel more trusting than any previous comrade, her back pressed to his in battle made him feel safe and watched, her faith in him sent a swelling pride through his lungs. He was better because of her; he _wanted_ to be better for her.

Soon, it wasn't just an allegiance. She became a familiar light within the barracks of the new rebelling alliance. No longer was she just a comrade; there was a more distinct feeling as he looked at her. One that made his heart feel overstuffed and his skin feel too warm. A feeling he'd never possessed before.

He knew how he felt about her light as it washed over him. But other aspects of her became sweet and addicting, a craving he couldn't fill. The feel of her silver hair between his fingers when he caught it in a breeze. Her laughter like tinkling chimes. The sunny way she smiled. The passion in her eyes, her need to nurture and care for all beings.

And then there was her body: there was a primal instinct he was familiar with since his times of darkness. Perhaps one of the main characteristics to have carried over from his more demonic days. He had lusted women before. But the difference here was immense. Not only did he want her more than any other, but there was something even greater.

He'd fallen in love with her.

And more amazingly, she'd fallen in love with him as well.

oOoOo

In the summer, they're each other's. His eyes radiate green and warmth, and his reflection is new. While he's rapidly transformed into a person his previous self would have sneered at, he can't help but feel pride in who he has become. His power still surges within him, his mark able to summon unfathomable surges of darkness like never before. However, only now does his power have a purpose. Each swing, each blow, each target has meaning. Fighting for a goal, battling for the sake of _someone_ and their goals, brings a greater pride to each clash of his sword than the merciless bloodshed of his earlier days ever did.

Now she presses against his back, her wings to his shoulder blades, and he's comforted by the knowledge that with her strength and his combined, they can start a new era. They together can build a better world. And in that world, she could be his. Future imaginings coat his mind, the places they'll go and things they'll do together. He is creating the memories in his head before they are even experienced, but he can not help himself. Only one aspect of his life consumes his mind: _Elizabeth._

Her light envelops them as she converts enemies without any needed effort. Those not ended by her strength are bended by her words and ideals. Some, like himself, are swayed by both.

When she's done at the end of the days of fighting, she takes his hand and leads him to the next goal. The next stepping stone to their future, the next battle to be won. He follows her without question, supports her in all she needs, holds her hand as if it's the sole lifeline tying his spirit to his body. Her blue eyes twinkle at the sight of him, trace him and understand him, and her lips always press against his, featherlight. Lips that are gentle and warm, intoxicatingly addictive, something of hers that is particularly _his_ and his alone. She'd told him not long ago that everything of hers was his and his alone.

He wondered how he had ever come to deserve such a wonderful thing.

OoOo

In the Autumn, the war has been progressing for far too long.

Stigma, their alliance, has fallen. Humans had betrayed them, their weapons foolishly swinging through the air at any clan that opposed the demon race. The Goddesses were conflicting in their opinions, and most are trapped in their realm. The fairies and giants were both weakened and weary. Even Elizabeth, spirited and beautiful, had a tiredness to her eyes he's never seen before. The spark that once sparkled in her eyes, the passion for the world and its people, the hope she had for a better place, had slightly tarnished.

When she spoke to him then, late at night with their heads placed together against their shared pillow, it was never about the future. She clung desperately to the _now._ When she asked him to kiss her, to love her, it was with a desperation for a time that he felt she believed to be their last. He, of course, didn't believe anything could ever be their last: even if their world fell to the ground, incinerating to dust, he would make sure she was the last aspect remaining. She talked about time now as if it's fleeting. But he loved her as though she were eternal.

The battles rage on, and his stomach lurches as for the first time in what feels like an eternity, when Elizabeth isn't pressed against his back. The enemies are thick and plentiful, allies swarming around as well. In a moment, he disregards all their lives equally; how could he care about anyone else, when she was out there without him. He abandoned the fight, his entire being dragging him to the soul of one other.

And he finds her. But at that point, she's already gone. His eyes see nothing but the crimson coating on her downy wings, the dullness in her eyes that once contained the spark. A pain in his chest rips through him so rapidly he swore each of his hearts stopped beating. The darkness inside him, so perfectly controlled, claws its way out in desperation, his head swimming in an overload of emotions so loud he can't channel a single thought. All that resonates through him is after finding such a wonderful purpose, what is holding him to life now? As he shut down, his eyes travel to the one responsible. His brother Estarossa, who smiled over his kill of a Goddess, looking at him with widened eyes, thrilled with their success. Eyes that looked filled with glory and purpose and pleasure, all the things Meliodas had told him they'd receive from such a kill, so many, many years before.

OoOoO

Afterwards, the seasons stopped having meaning. He no longer counted days but counted the time between _her_. He still followed her light as he did then, but found it was never close or in the same place. Her soul wandered, almost as if it were a game for him. Where would Elizabeth show up now? A blonde millions of miles away? The woman seven entire kingdoms over, well passed her prime and already married?

A pink haired warrior who dies in the same bloody way as the first, much too soon?

As destiny drags him along it's cruel path, time refuses to change. His reflection stays the same, his monotonous life speckled with "Hers" that never could be. Without peace alongside her, he loses track of the years that go by, the years turning into millenia.

Until one fateful and tragic night in Danafor where it all ends and begins again.

OoOoOoO

Today he lays beside her in a field, very much at peace. Her light is buried within her, a place where even she can not summon it yet. But it's there, as it was thousands of years ago. He can see it in the spark in her eyes, her unwavering determination to create peace and save the people. And here he is, on another journey to create whatever beautiful world she'd like to see. As long as, in the future, he gets to be by her side.

As he hears a sigh escape her lips, her silver hair tussled across the frosted grass, it was the first true day of winter all over again.

* * *

 **AN:** Thanks for reading, all 3 of you that read my stuff! I began writing this as a secret santa gift for BettyBest2 a long while ago, but I wasn't a fan of it so I dropped it for the time. I'm kinda insecure about this story, I thought it was... ugly. I was going to make this a Reasons to Live chapter but I guess it didn't fit in there too well, so here we are! Any feedback is appreciated :,). Thanks!


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